Clouds
by ArtsyChick
Summary: "Whenever I feel lonely, I look at the clouds." The story of how Kakashi and Hanare met.


**A/N: **Okay, who _doesn't_ love episode 191? I still support KakaSaku (when Sakura's older), but Kakashi and Hanare are absolutely adorable together! And Kakashi kissed her! :D So I just _had _to write a story about them. This is how Kakashi and Hanare first met from Kakashi's POV. Enjoy!

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><p>"Are you all right?"<p>

The little girl looked up, tears seeping from her large brown eyes. "Huh?" she mumbled.

"I asked if you're all right," Kakashi said, kneeling down in front of her and tilting his head. "You don't _look _all right."

She sniffed. "I'm lost."

He studied her. The girl was younger than him, maybe nine or ten years old, with long brown hair and wide, frightened, maple-brown eyes. She was dressed in a red shirt with yellow and violet sleeves and beige pants, but neither was decorated with any village symbols. Still, he didn't let his guard down—he had been a chunin at six, so there was no reason to underestimate her. Even if she _did_ seem genuinely frightened…

"Maybe I can help you," he said brightly, grinning. "Where are you going?"

She looked away, biting her lip. "The Lock Village," she whispered.

"The Lock Village?" he repeated, confused. He'd never even _heard _of the Lock Village, let alone knew its location. "Is that where you're from?"

The girl hesitated a moment, nodded, then shook her head. "I don't know where it is," she finally said, her voice breaking as tears welled in her eyes.

Inwardly, he sighed. Minato-sensei wasn't expecting him back anytime soon, so he supposed he could help her. She did look awfully sad… "Come on," he said, offering her his hand, "we'll find it together."

She slipped her hand into his and he pulled her to her feet. Turning on his heel, he began to walk but he only got a few steps ahead when he heard a thud. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that the little was on her hands and knees. She raised her head and he saw her face was bright red as more tears dripped down her cheeks. Clambering to his knees beside her, he gestured at his back.

"Climb on," he said.

She hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"I can't lead you to the Lock Village if you can't walk." He looked over at her. "So climb on."

Cheeks still red, he felt her throw one leg over and straddle his back. Once she linked her hands around his neck, he straightened and continued walking. Because neither of them knew where the Lock Village was, he decided the best course of action was to take her back to Konoha.

With nothing better to do, he decided to fish and see if she had any information worth knowing. But first things first: "What's your name?" he asked.

"Hanare," she mumbled.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "That's a pretty name. What does it mean?"

"I don't know," she said, shrugging halfheartedly.

"Oh." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "It kind of sounds like 'flower,' don't you think?"

"I guess so," she murmured absently. "What's your name?"

He picked his away around a pile of rocks. "Kakashi."

She shifted on his back. "What's that mean?"

"It means 'scarecrow.'" He heard her giggle and he grinned; he'd take laughter over tears. "I guess my mother picked it out." He turned his head a fraction. "Did your mother pick your name?"

Her laughter stopped immediately. "I don't know," she whispered sadly. "I've never met my mother."

"What about your father?"

"I've never met him either." He turned his head further and saw fat tears rolling down Hanare's cheeks again as her lower lip quivered. "I don't even know if they're alive."

He sighed. "My mother died when I was still young," he said quietly. "I don't even remember her. And my father… well, he's dead too."

"I'm sorry," she replied, sniffing loudly.

"It's all right," he said, shrugging. "You see, I know a trick to beat the loneliness." He glanced up at her. "Would you like to hear it?" She nodded eagerly. "Whenever I feel lonely, I look at the clouds." They were a few hundred feet from a tree, the only tree for miles, when he stopped and pointed up at the fluffy white clouds floating across the azure sky.

"The clouds?" she asked, her maple-brown eyes following the line of his finger upwards.

"Sure. The clouds are always changing so you can envision the things you wish for." His eye moved to follow a pair of clouds gliding by. "As long as you have hope Hanare," he said, tilting his head up toward hers, "the clouds will always answer your call."

And as if to prove his point, the pair of clouds began to morph into two heads. For a moment the two of them stared up at the sky as the clouds transformed into a man and a woman. He felt Hanare's chest suck in and heard her gasp, her warm breath fluttering the tufts hair behind his ear, and he grinned.

Suddenly he heard a shout. "Hanare!" Turning, Kakashi saw an old man with a straw hat and long staff glaring at them.

"Sensei!" Hanare squealed and began to squirm around on his back. Sighing, he released her legs and, as she unhooked her hands, he gently set her back on the ground.

She started to run toward the old man, but she paused and glanced back. "Thank you for helping me, Kakashi," she said, clapping her hands together and bowing.

Kakashi couldn't help chuckling a little—she was incredibly cute—and dipped his head in return. "You're welcome, Hanare."

She smiled shyly at him, her cheeks turning pink, then turned and ran to the old man, who was waiting patiently beside a large boulder. But before she reached him, she stopped again and looked at Kakashi. A light breeze began to blow, lifting her long hair to tangle and dance around her face.

Raising one hand, he pointed two fingers straight up and smiled. "Goodbye Hanare," he said. "Maybe we'll meet again."

The last thing he saw before he vanished was her maple-brown eyes. Then he was standing in front of the Ichiraku Ramen shop.

Minato glanced up, then did a double-take, the chopsticks dripping with noodles stopping halfway to his mouth. Someone's voice trailed off and Kakashi watched Rin lean around their teacher and stare at him.

"Oh, there you are Kakashi," she said brightly, grinning. "You're late."

"Where were you?" Minato asked when he finished slurping his ramen.

Kakashi dusted off his sleeves and hopped onto the stool beside him. "I was helping a little girl go home."

"Really?" Rin asked doubtfully as Minato rolled his eyes.

"Yes, _really_," he huffed, crossing his arms. "Who do you think I am, Obito?"

Rin shook her head, but Minato laughed. "You just need a pair of goggles," he said, reaching over and jostling Kakashi's headband.

Now both Rin and his sensei were laughing. As Kakashi readjusted his headband, he spun on his stool to look out across the busy street. His eye wandered upward until he was gazing at the sky. A face was forming in the clouds, a face with long hair and large eyes and a shy smile.


End file.
